


The Five-Year Promise

by rikke



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 01:03:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4415015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rikke/pseuds/rikke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin just really wants to know what Sousuke is going to ask as a reward for winning that butterfly race.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Five-Year Promise

**1.**

 

The cicadas are chirping loudly under the summer sun as Rin races Sousuke to the little shop that sells the cheapest popsicles in this part of town. They skid to a stop in front of the freezer just under the awning. The old shopkeeper is sitting under the shade, slowly waving a newspaper in front of her face as a fan. The freezer is warm, and next to it, two fruit flies buzz over a case of oranges.

The freezer radiates heat when they crash into it.

“I won!” Rin says.

“It was a tie, stupid,” Sousuke corrects him.

Rin sticks his tongue out at him. “Man, it’s hot,” he says. “Perfect for a popsicle!” In the freezer, he’s already seen the one cola-flavored popsicle through the glass. Sousuke always chooses the cola. Rin thinks it’s a little too sweet, but he wants to see what Sousuke will do. So as soon as he sees Sousuke reach for it, Rin does too, and their hands close around the cold wrapping at the same time.

Sousuke looks surprised for a moment, and then he grins and Rin knows what’s coming.

“Rock...paper...scissors....shoot!”

“I win!” Rin cheers.

Sousuke makes a face, but he picks a different popsicle, and they pay the old lady.

“You boys stay out of the sun,” she says slowly as she counts out their change. “You’ll get heatstroke if you’re running in this heat for too long.”

“Okay,” Rin and Sousuke both promise.

Taking their popsicles, they head for the nearby temple so they can sit in the shade.

Cola always tastes better when Rin has won it from Sousuke--the chill and tangy fuzz of soda sweet on his tongue. “This is great!” he says as he leans back in the shade of the temple, taking another bite off his popsicle.

“I would’ve won if we were racing butterfly,” Sousuke gripes as he sucks on his own ramune-flavored popsicle. “I didn’t even know you like cola that much.”

“It’s good every once in awhile,” Rin says. “How about we race butterfly next time?” he adds, because he doesn’t want Sousuke to actually be annoyed at him. Sousuke has been his best friend ever since they started second grade and were sorted into the same class. Plus, six weeks ago, Rin finally convinced Sousuke to come to the swim club with him. Rin used to be the best swimmer on the team, but now Sousuke wins half the races against him. “We can compete for…”

“How about the loser has to do one thing the winner asks for?” Sousuke suggests.

“Okay,” Rin says, kicking his feet idly against the stairs of the shrine. He can think of half a dozen things he wants already--he could make Sousuke buy him the new stuffed animal shark he saw in the toy store, or make Sousuke take him to the amusement park, or make Sousuke give him those nice goggles he just bought. He grins. “Race you to the pool!” Rin jumps up and starts running.

“Hey, wait! Not fair!” Sousuke shouts behind him.

Rin wins the race to the natatorium, and there are a lot of families already there when they get inside. Rin and Sousuke rent a locker together and stuff their clothes in before heading for the pool. They swim and splash around in the free play area until two lanes finally open up and they can claim them.

Sousuke rolls his shoulders and pulls on his goggles as he steps onto the diving block. “Don’t cry when you lose,” he says to Rin.

“Someday, when I’m on the world stage, I’m going to look back on this moment and say I was always a winner,” Rin answers, pulling his goggles on.

“I’ll be there right next to you.” Sousuke grins. “And I’ll beat you then like I’ll beat you now.”

Rin beams at him, and steps onto his own diving block. “We’ll start when the clock hits 60,” he lays out the rules of the race, pointing to the big timer sitting on the edge of the pool. By now, he and Sousuke have raced so many times that Rin automatically looks at the clock every time he steps up to the pool.

“Okay,” Sousuke says. “Loser has to do one thing the winner says,” he repeats and readies himself.

Rin snaps his goggle strap, and stares at the timer.

5...4...3...2...1...0!

He hears the splash in the lane next to him right before he hits the water, and then they’re off. Rin flies through the water, gasping for air every time he surfaces again, eyes straight ahead as the wall gets closer and closer. Every time he dives back under, he sees the stream of bubbles in the next lane as Sousuke swims right next to him.

They hit the wall, and Rin turns a little too hard, his feet shooting him off the wall but at a downward angle so he has to claw his way back up to the surface. Sousuke is just ahead of him, and swimming fast, the roll of his shoulders weaving in and out of water.

Rin hits the wall a second after Sousuke does, and by the time he resurfaces, Sousuke is already climbing out of the pool.

Rin groans and drags himself out before flopping to the tiles. He drums his heels, splashing water everywhere. “If I hadn’t messed up the turn, I would’ve won!” he complains.

“My win,” Sousuke says. He stands over Rin and grins, pulling off his goggles and tucking them into the band of his trunks.

“Fine,” Rin says and tries not to sulk. “A promise is a promise. What do you want?”

Sousuke opens his mouth, and then he sighs. “Don’t start crying,” he says.

Rin wipes his face. “I’m not crying!” He looks back up at Sousuke. “Well? Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

Sousuke doesn’t say anything.

“What do you want?” Rin asks again, and he’s curious. Most of the time, Rin wins their throwdowns, and now that he thinks about it, he can’t remember the last time Sousuke asked him for something.

Sousuke shrugs after a moment. “I got nothing,” he says. “I’ll think about it and decide later.” He reaches over to ruffle Rin’s hair. “So stop crying, you baby.”

Rin hooks his foot and trips Sousuke back into the pool. Rin scrambles away from the edge as fast as he can, but he feels Sousuke’s hand close around his left ankle, and then he’s being pulled into the water too.

They resurface and Rin sputters and laughs at the same time, but he still wonders what Sousuke was going to ask for.

 

* * *

 

**2.**

 

Since Sousuke never asked for a prize, Rin remembers the promise every time they race at the pool again.

“When are you going to decide?” Rin complains as they sit at the of the pool one late autumn afternoon. Rin won the race this time, but they’d already decided on a can of cola as the prize.

Sousuke pops the can open and drinks. “I don’t know,” he says. “You could get me cola, I guess.”

“That’s for the race this time,” Rin says and kicks some water at Sousuke.

Sousuke splashes him back, and then hands him the can.

Rin drinks it, and it’s too sweet as usual, but they’ve been swimming all day and he’s thirsty. “Well think of it soon,” he says.

 

* * *

 

Rin just wants to swim the relay with Sousuke, and he finally gets him to agree by winning a game of janken.

“I won!” Rin says. “So you’ll swim on the team with me?” he asks.

“Well, since I promised,” Sousuke says and sighs as he tosses the can of cola up in the air.

“I’ll buy you another cola if we win,” Rin bribes him.

Sousuke grins at him and holds out his fist. Rin bumps his knuckles with his own.

But they don’t win.

The other two members just weren’t fast enough, and they come in third. Sousuke punches the tiles when he comes out of the water, and it’s the first time that Rin has seen him really angry.

“Why didn’t you swim seriously?” Rin asks when Sousuke sits down on one end of the bench.

Sousuke gives him reasons. He says they think differently about swimming. He says he doesn’t want to be responsible for other people. He says he wants to swim alone. What he means is that he doesn’t want to swim with Rin.

Rin is at the other end of the bench. Between them sits the can of cola that he’d gotten from the vending machine right before the race. He’d planned to give it Sousuke after. It’s still unopened.

Sousuke leaves, and Rin stays on the bench long after everyone else has left the pool. He doesn’t cry.

 

* * *

 

Since then, they haven’t raced once. They still go to school and come home together. During lunch, Rin still gives Sousuke his dessert. They still write each other notes in class. They still run to the pool together. But Rin is afraid to ask Sousuke to race with him, and Sousuke hasn’t asked him.

Three weeks later, Rin makes a decision.

“I’m going to transfer to Iwatobi,” he tells Sousuke as they walk home together.

It snowed earlier that morning, so the air is still crisp. When he looks over, Sousuke’s breath is fogging in puffs around him, and his eyes are pool-blue.

“I’ll start going there after winter break,” Rin plows forward. “I found some guys I want to swim with there--as a relay team.”

Sousuke still says nothing. He just shoves his hands in his pockets and keeps walking.

“Sou, remember the promise?” Rin asks. “When you won the race last time. Have you decided what you want yet? You can ask me for anything.” He stops walking and Sousuke also stops next to him. “Anything.”

Rin has been thinking a lot about the promise ever since they lost the relay. If Rin had that promise, he would ask Sousuke to swim with him again. For them to race together again. For them to swim relay _right_ this time. For Sousuke to promise he would ever stop swimming with Rin. But he didn’t win, so he doesn’t.

He stares at Sousuke until he finally looks up at Rin. “You’re bringing that up now?” Sousuke says finally. He kicks a pebble and it skitters down the street until it hits a wall.

Rin frowns. “I said you could ask for anything.”

He wants Sousuke to ask him to swim with him again. He wants Sousuke to make him promise never to stop swimming with him. He wants Sousuke to ask him to stay.

Instead, Sousuke shrugs. “I have to think about it some more,” he says and smiles. “I’ll decide when we hang out again next time.” He pulls out his hand again and makes a fist.

Rin sighs and bumps it with his own. “Fine,” he says.

 

* * *

 

**3.**

 

A year later, Sousuke is still the first one Rin calls to tell about going to Australia.

“Can I come visit you in Tokyo first?” Rin asks, pressing the phone to his ear. Sousuke transferred to Tokitsu a few months after Rin went to Iwatobi, and Rin hasn’t seen him since. Still, he calls Sousuke every weekend, and in the meanwhile, he has new friends at Iwatobi.

“Bring me a can of cola and I’ll consider it,” Sousuke says.

Rin smiles. “Always the same,” he says. “Anyway, I already booked a ticket so I’ll be there for a day early. I’m going to stay with you so pick me up at the bus stop, okay?”

“Oi,” Sousuke says. “Inviting yourself over?”

“Who knows when’s the next time we’ll see each other,” Rin says. “Anyway, I want to see your new school. Your swimming better be better.”

“Fine,” Sousuke says. “Send me the time and bus number and I’ll come get you.”

Two days pass too quickly. Sousuke takes Rin to the school natatorium and Rin watches him fly down the lane--he’s gotten so good. His times are all better than Rin’s right now, and Rin needs to work harder to beat both him and Haru. At night, they throwdown for the bed in Sousuke’s dorm and Rin wins. Rin spends all night leaning over the mattress to stare at Sousuke on the ground, and they talk until Rin can’t keep his eyes open any longer.

Sousuke carries Rin’s suitcase and takes him to the bus stop the next day. The bus will take him to the Narita Airport, and then Rin will be going abroad for the first time.

“Are you sure you have everything?” Sousuke asks as the bus driver loads the suitcase into the storage.

Rin’s hands are sweating as he pulls his passport and ticket out of his coat pocket again.

“Well,” Sousuke says. “I guess you better board.” He sticks his hands in his pockets and takes a step back.

“Wait,” Rin blurts out. “Did you think of what you want yet? For the promise, remember? It’s been over a year now. Aren’t you going to ask me for anything?” He has been thinking about it ever since Sousuke greeted him at the bus stop exactly the same as he looked the last time Rin saw him.

If Rin had the promise, he would ask Sousuke to come back to Iwatobi Town with him. He would ask Sousuke to go to Australia with him. He would ask Sousuke to swim with him again. He would make Sousuke promise to let Rin stay with him. But he doesn’t.

Sousuke smiles and shrugs. “I haven’t thought of anything yet,” he says.

Rin frowns. “I don’t know how long I’ll even be in Australia, you know.”

“If you take that long to come back, I’ll just have to see you at the world stage,” Sousuke says. “You better work hard.” He holds out his fist.

Rin bumps it with his own. “It’s a promise then,” he says.

When he gets on the bus and looks out the window, Sousuke is still standing under the eaves of the bus stop.

Rin waves at him, and Sousuke waves back.

 

* * *

 

**4.**

 

Four years later, a boy walks into Rin’s homeroom. He’s tall and broad and tan, but his eyes are the same pool shade of blue, and when he sees Rin staring slack-jawed at him, his smirk is _definitely_ the same.

Rin drags him out of the classroom as soon as it’s break, and he’s so relieved that Sousuke draws back his fist when Rin does, and he hasn’t forgotten their old handshake. Rin bursts out laughing.

“What the hell are you even doing here?” he asks later.

He can’t stop looking at Sousuke who has grown like a tree, and Rin has maybe picked up a couple of bad habits from Gou, because Sousuke’s biceps are obvious even under the school uniform.

Sousuke leans back on his hands. “I just thought since it’s our last year in high school, I’d swim the way I want to back home,” he says.

For a moment, Rin thinks the worst has happened. “You’re not going to quit swimming are you?” he demands.

Sousuke grins and looks at him. “I’ve been scouted,” he says.

Rin gapes and then kicks him. “Damn, you bastard, you should have said so earlier! You scared the hell out of me for a second there!”

This time, Sousuke’s laugh is real.

Later, Rin requests Sousuke as a roommate. When he opens the door to their new room, and Sousuke is already sitting on the bottom bunk, half unpacked with books and swim gear and clothes scattered all over the ground, Rin can’t stop smiling.

Rin is now the captain of the swim team. He knows why he swims. He knows who he wants to compete against. He even has Sousuke back now, and they’re on the same team. It still makes him a little nervous the first time Sousuke offers to swim in the unofficial relay with him, though.

Sousuke has gotten so good. His shoulders rise out of the water like the swell of ocean waves, and he actually ties with Haru even though Haru started first. Sousuke isn’t even swimming seriously--not really.

They get seats together in homeroom, and Rin doodles notes to Sousuke during maths. They go to lunch together, and Rin gives Sousuke his dessert pudding. They go to swim practice together, and Rin makes Sousuke use his shampoo instead of the terrible free soap that the locker room provides. At night, they study together, and Sousuke helps him in classic literature. Rin also thinks the whole swim team takes him more seriously because Sousuke is a nationally ranked swimmer and his best friend and always the first to dive in the pool on Rin’s orders.

That weekend, Sousuke comes with him when Rin takes Momo shopping for a new swimsuit, even though it’s miserably humid outside. Afterwards, he and Rin linger on the steps of the Sports ZERO shopping complex.

“It’s hot,” Sousuke says and gets up to go to the vending machine. He gets a cola, of course.

“You really haven’t changed,” Rin says, smiling. “I guess I’ll get one too.” It’s been four years since the last time Rin had a cola.

Of all the drinks at the vending machine, the only one sold out is the coke.

“They’re out,” Sousuke says, and props his arm up on Rin’s shoulder. His arm is about three times heavier than it had been when they were kids. “Want to throwdown for it?”

Rin grins and readies his fist. “Rock...paper...scissors...shoot!”

Sousuke loses, also the same, and hands him the coke. But as they sit down on the steps beneath the shade, Sousuke’s smile is different from the one he’d worn years ago when they’d thrown down for the cola popsicle. And even though he still has the sugary taste of cola in his mouth, Rin feels thirsty.

“This is great,” he says and takes another sip. He feels shy at the way Sousuke looks at him, and he’s not sure why.

“Hey, you remember that promise?” Sousuke asks suddenly, but Rin knows exactly what he’s talking about.

“Yeah, you never did decide what you wanted,” he says. “I thought I might really have to wait until I got to the world stage to see you again.”

“Yeah…” Sousuke says. “If only.”

“Hey, are you saying you didn’t want to see me earlier?” Rin says, nudging him.

It’s supposed to be a joke, but Sousuke doesn’t answer.

Rin swallows. “So then, as your welcome back, I’ll let you decide now,” he says, changing the subject back. His pulse speeds up and he wonders what Sousuke will ask for. A trickle of sweat slides down his face. He takes another sip. “Go ahead and ask me for anything.”

He hopes his face isn’t as red as it feels.

Sousuke leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “Then how about you trade bunks with me,” he says.

It’s not what Rin expected. He frowns. “We already settled that with a throwdown,” he says and nudges Sousuke with his elbow. “Anyway, that’s really what you want for our five-year promise?”

“Then give me half your soda.” Sousuke leans back on his hands, and grins at him.

“Are you taking this seriously or not?” Rin nudges him with his leg this time, and Sousuke laughs, lying back completely. He slots his hands behind his head, and it feels like they’re twelve again.

“Then give me some more time to think about it,” Sousuke says lightly.

 

* * *

 

**5.**

 

Sousuke tries to use the promise to get himself on the relay team, and Rin starts to wonder why Sousuke really came back. If Rin had the promise, he would make Sousuke tell him. He would make Sousuke tell Rin everything that happened in the last four years. He would make Sousuke say why he sometimes looks at the pool and his eyes turn the wrong shade of blue. But he doesn’t.

It has been five years since their last race.

“I hold the record times for both free and fly right now,” Rin says. “To get on the relay team, you’ll have to beat me.”

Sousuke smiles. “A race then,” he says.

So for the first time in five years, they dive into the pool at the same time. Rin feels the water rush past him, the pressure beneath his arms as he rises up and the sting as he hits the surface again. He feels the current in the lane next to his, hears the echoing splashes when he gasps for breath.

“Yes! I win!” Sousuke says as soon as they burst through the surface.

It’s like they’re ten again and racing at the old Sano pool. Sousuke’s eyes are bright and his smile is real when he turns to Rin.

And he feels like, after five years, Rin has finally come home. “You can be on the relay team,” he says, heaving himself out of the pool next to Sousuke.

It’s night and the natatorium is dark. The pool is lit by small fluorescent lights like tiny jellyfish, and it casts waving blue crescents over Sousuke’s face. The shadows highlight all the right planes on his cheekbones and jaw, and Sousuke is all hard muscle now and can outswim anyone on the Samezuka team, including, apparently, Rin.

“But what do you want for the promise? Decide on something else.” Rin trails his foot in the pool water, throwing light and shadows all over the walls.

Sousuke turns away from the pool. “I’ll think of something,” he says. “We should go. It’s late.”

He offers Rin his hand, and pulls him up.

 

* * *

 

Months later, when he finds out Sousuke has been lying about his shoulder all year, Rin wishes he won that first butterfly race way back in elementary school, or that first relay back in sixth grade, or that late night race in the natatorium.

Sousuke is lying on the top bunk with his earbuds in when Rin tells him he’s taking Haru to Australia.

“Sousuke, did you hear me?” Rin says when Sousuke doesn’t answer. “I’m going to Australia. My flight leaves in a couple of hours.”

“I heard you,” Sousuke says, but his eyes stay shut.

Rin can hear the tinny sound of music coming from the earbuds. “I’m going to talk to my old coach about swimming for the university,” he says. “I might move back there. After we graduate.”

“Okay.”

Rin wants to punch the mattress, drag him off the bunk, anything to get Sousuke to look at him. “Have you thought about what you want for the promise?” he asks instead.

Sousuke opens his eyes, a black sliver, and looks at him. “The promise,” he repeats.

Rin nods. He can see the slow rise and fall of Sousuke’s shirt as he breaths, and the tinkle of music still playing. When Sousuke confessed about his shoulder, Rin cried. He remembers the smell of chlorine and the heat of the sun on his back the first time he dragged Sousuke into the pool with him. He remembers swimming circles around Sousuke and then showing Sousuke how to move his arms and legs just right. He remembers jumping off the diving block the first time with Sousuke right next to him. He remembers the last time.

Rin takes a deep breath and stares up at Sousuke, his duffel in hand. He says the words he’s wanted to say for five years now. “If you ask me to stay, I will.”

His vision blurs. He feels the rough pads of Sousuke’s fingers on his chin, and his thumb wipes the tears on Rin’s eyelashes.

“Don’t cry,” Sousuke says. His eyebrows are drawn down.

“I’m not crying,” Rin says and leans into the touch. “Ask me to stay. Why don’t you ask me to stay?”

Sousuke exhales, and brushes Rin’s cheek again. “Go,” he says. “Bring me back a can of coke.”

“You never tell me what you want,” Rin snaps and jerks back from him. “Why don’t you ever just tell me?”

Sousuke smiles. “If you really want to know, I’ll tell you when you come back home,” he says. Then his hand is gone and Sousuke’s eyes are shut again.

Rin wipes his face, picks up his duffel, and goes.

 

* * *

 

A week later when Rin comes back, Sousuke is already in their room, doing bicep curls with a weight at the desk.

“I’m back,” Rin says.

“Welcome home.” Sousuke finishes up his rep and puts down the weight. “How was your trip?”

Rin hands him a can of cola. “From Australia as promised,” he says. “Haru’s decided he wants to go pro after all,” he says. He watches as Sousuke straps on the heavy black brace around his shoulder.

“That’s good,” Sousuke says. He cracks open the can and takes a sip.

Rin watches the bob of his throat as he swallows. He lets his duffel bag slide off his shoulder to the ground, but continues holding the strap of the bag. “Have you thought about the promise?” he asks.

“You’ll be going to Australia,” Sousuke says and rolls his shoulder a couple of times. He puts the soda down on the desk.

“I’m going to be at the world stage,” Rin says.

“I know.”

There are so many things Rin would ask for if he just had that promise now. He’d make Sousuke promise to go to physiotherapy and work as hard as he could to get better. He’d make Sousuke promise to keep swimming. He’d make Sousuke promise to meet him at the world stage. But he doesn’t.

“Just tell me what you want,” Rin says. “It’s been five years, Sou. Don’t you trust me enough to tell me what you want from me?”

Sousuke finally turns to look at him, and Rin’s hand tightens on the strap of his bag.

Sousuke exhales. “Don’t cry,” he says and steps closer until he’s right in front of him. Rin stares down at his feet, terrified of what he’ll say next.

“I’m not crying.” His voice shakes.

“You want to know the big secret?” Sousuke asks, his tone light. “What I’ve wanted from you all these years?”

“Yes!” Rin says.

Sousuke chuckles, and Rin feels him touch his hair, brushing it out of his face. “Nothing,” he says.

Rin isn’t sure he heard right. He lets go of his bag strap to hold Sousuke’s hand still. “What did you say?”

“I never wanted anything,” Sousuke repeats. His voice is low and quiet and just for Rin to hear. He can feel Sousuke’s wrist thick under his fingers, and the strong, steady pulse of his heartbeat. “As long as you never fulfilled the promise, you would always come back. There would always be a next time.” Sousuke looks at him. “That was enough,” he says.

Rin’s hand loosens, and he really is crying now. “That’s not enough for me, you idiot,” he says. “You never asked me to stay. Not once. You could have.”

Sousuke’s smiling now. “Did you want me to?”

“Yes,” Rin admits.

Sousuke is so close now that Rin can see the waves of blue in his eyes and feel the heat of his breath. “All those places you went chasing your dream, though. You’re going to be on the world stage.”

“I just wanted you to say it once,” Rin says.

Sousuke laughs and pulls Rin into his arms. “Then stay.”

 

* * *

 

**Five years later...**

 

Rin and Sousuke are once again at a pool, but this time there are hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the stadiums around them.

“Loser has to do one thing the winner asks?” Sousuke says, pulling his red, white, and blue swim cap on. The name “Yamazaki” is printed on the band.

It has been five years of brutal training. Rin still went to Australia after graduation, but with lingering kisses at the airport, and late night skype chats where he’d wake up in the morning and Sousuke would still be hunched by his laptop and snoring gently. This time, Sousuke texts him from the rehabilitation center, and Rin sends him pictures of Sydney’s Olympic pool. This time, Rin flies home when the doctor officially says Sousuke can try swimming again, and Rin is right there in the pool with him when Sousuke gets in.

“You’re on,” Rin says.

“Don’t cry when I kick your ass,” Sousuke says and grins when Rin kicks him in the shin.

Further down in a third lane, Rin meets Haru’s eyes, and Haru nods as he adjusts his own goggles.

They’re told to get ready and the other swimmers are all lined up now. Rin steps onto the diving block. He pulls his goggles on, snaps the strap, and waits.

The timer counts down.

5...4...3...2...1...0!

He dives in. He hears the muted splashes in the lanes next to his, and he’s swimming. Rin flies through the water, gasping for air every time he surfaces, eyes set on the goal ahead as the wall gets closer. Each time he dives back under, he sees streams of bubbles on both sides of him.

He gets to the wall, and this time his turn is perfect. His feet shoot him off the surface, and then he’s speeding through water as fast as he can. In the distance, he can see the tiles of the wall getting more in focus with each breath.

He surfaces, and gets a glimpse of water bobbing over his goggles, the coaches standing behind the diving blocks in the multi-colored uniforms of their countries. Rin hits the wall and surfaces.

He looks up at the board. Five colored rings sit above it, and underneath them, the numbers flash.

 **Japan:** 1  
**USA:** 2  
**Australia:** 3

Already, reporters are flocking to Haru.

“Technically,” Rin says to Sousuke as they both pull themselves out of the water. “Haru won.”

“But he wasn’t a part of the bet,” Sousuke says, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

A man in the colorful uniform of the USA comes, and Sousuke accepts the towel from his coach. “Thank you,” he says in English.

The coach claps him on the shoulder. “Congratulations on the silver,” he says to Sousuke. “And on the bronze,” he says to Rin.

The last five years have also been trips to the physiotherapist every week, long days of frustration and anger, and Rin feeling helpless when Sousuke can only hold his shoulder and grit his teeth. The day Sousuke called Rin to tell him a university from America scouted him, Rin cried and promised to tutor Sousuke in English.

After the medals have all been given and the pictures have been taken, the reporters flock to Haru for more commentary, so Sousuke and Rin pick up their jackets from the side benches, and head toward the lockers.

“We made it to the world stage together after all,” Rin says.

“You’re such a sappy romantic,” Sousuke answers and fails to dodge when Rin aims a kick at him. “Don’t cry,” he says, pausing as the come to the locker room. Instead of going into the lockers, Rin lets Sousuke pull him to a side hallway.

“I’m not crying,” Rin says. “So what do you want? Since you kind of won,” he says. “But not against Haru.” He does kind of wish he’d won, and not just because he would love to beat both Haru and Sousuke, but also because Rin has three weeks off after the Olympics are over. He could make Sousuke take a trip back home with him. He could make Sousuke come to Australia to stay for three weeks and spend days at the beach. He could make Sousuke kiss him until he’s breathless, or make love to him until the sky is light out again. But he doesn’t. And anyway, Sousuke would do all of those things if Rin wants.

Sousuke pulls him close and presses their foreheads together. “You have to promise not to cry,” he says. This close, his eyes are pool-blue, and his hair is still damp and smells like chlorine.

“I’m not going to!” Rin huffs. “You’re not going to make me wait another five years before you tell me, are you?”

“Okay then, here goes.” Rin watches as he reaches into his jacket pocket.

Then Sousuke gets down on one knee. He pulls out a black velvet box and a ring that gleams under the fluorescent blue light and sends waves sparkling across the walls. Sousuke looks up at Rin and laughs. “You promised not to cry,” he says. “I’m taking it back.”

“Don’t you dare!” Rin sobs, and throws himself into Sousuke’s waiting arms. He kisses Sousuke and then once more, and his mouth tastes like both the popsicle ten years earlier and the soda from Australia five years before.

“What were you going to do if you lost?” he asks.

“Well,” Sousuke says and grins at him. “I guess you'd have to wait another four years then--still one year less than usual."

Rin punches him in the arm. "And whose fault is that?"

Sousuke takes the ring out of the box and holds Rin’s hand. Rin’s fingers are still wrinkled with water and dry with chlorine, but the ring slides home. “Five years ago, you told me to ask you to stay so will you?” Sousuke asks.

Rin knows he has tears and snot all over his red face, and he’s really glad that Sousuke decided to do this in private and not out there with the cameras and journalists.

“Marry me, Rin,” Sousuke says and adds, “By the way, you have to say yes. You promised.”

Rin laughs. “Well,” he says. “Since I promised.”

**Author's Note:**

> it was my bday yesterday so i spent all day out w/ people and then came back and wrote this self-indulgent thing for 5 hours, so long story short i have all the wrong priorities. just give me a million happy ending sourins and leave me to die.


End file.
